Lucroy made his MLB debut and recorded his first major league hit the next day, hitting a single in the eighth inning of a 15–3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. When it was revealed later that week that Zaun had torn his glenoid labrum and would likely miss the remainder of the season, the Brewers decided to keep Lucroy in the majors, with George Kottaras serving as the team's starting catcher. Lucroy's first major league home run came on June 25, a three-run blast off of Ryan Rowland-Smith of the Seattle Mariners in an 8–3 Milwaukee victory. As the season progressed, the Brewers determined that Lucroy was a better defensive player than Kottaras, and he stepped into the starting catcher role by the end of July. Lucroy appeared in 75 games during his rookie season, batting .253 with four home runs and 26 RBI in 277 at bats. Behind the plate, he had a fielding percentage of .992 and threw out 31 percent of attempted base stealers. Despite putting up above-average numbers for a rookie, particularly one thrust into a starting role, Lucroy was disappointed in his own season, telling reporters, "I have not shown my true worth ... I don't have any excuses for it. I just stunkbottom line." A number of Brewers suffered injuries during spring training in 2011, including Lucroy, who fractured the little finger on his throwing hand during a drill. The fracture required surgery to put a pin in the finger, and it was unclear if he would be available for Opening Day. The recovery process took two months, with Lucroy returning to the Brewers lineup on April 13. Although early discussions by team officials suggested easing Lucroy back into games, continuing to give the bulk of playing time to fill-ins Wil Nieves and George Kottaras, manager Ron Roenicke ultimately decided that Lucroy would immediately return to his role as the Brewers' everyday catcher. On May 28, Lucroy executed his first game-winning hit when he successfully completed a squeeze play in the bottom of the ninth inning to bring home Ryan Braun and help Milwaukee defeat the San Francisco Giants 3–2. Lucroy's ability to execute squeeze plays on bunts would become a defining characteristic of his approach at the plate, with his Brewers teammates nicknaming him "Mr. Squeeze". Lucroy, who primarily batted eighth in the Brewers' order, drew praise from retired players like Bob Uecker